Positive Pressure
Coaching Tip # 67
We are all busy. We all have a to do list. And it is probably not just one list. I have one for work, another for home, one around my well-being and a final one that focuses on my relationships. So, you might ask “Why do we need positive pressure?”
Because it is so easy to get wrapped up in the pressing ‘little’ things and forget about the non-pressing ‘big’ important things.
If the important things are hard, stressful or new to you, it can become easy to justify that it is not the right time, the right circumstance or the right day to get on with it. If you are nodding your head in understanding, you are not alone.
It takes discipline to avoid distractions, and in today’s world distractions are plentiful. As I write this coaching tip, I could easily shift my attention to my unopened email, organizing meetings, creating an Instagram post, thinking about what to make for dinner, checking my news feed, throwing a load of laundry in. That list goes on and on and on (and I don’t have kids at home!).
Our lists create a sense of order. If it is on the list, it probably has been on your mind. It gives you a road map. And while I am a big advocate of getting stuff out of my head and down on a piece of paper, that piece of paper in itself can create the perfect excuse to (intentionally or unintentionally) put off a key aspect of moving forward toward your goal. The shadow side of a to do list is it excludes everything that is not on that list.
The vital elements of our vision benefit from applying of positive pressure. Positive pressure is created by establishing a forced function.
A forced function is any task, activity, or event that forces you to take action to get a result.
There are two types of forced functions, those that you must react to and those that you choose to engage with. A toothache forces you to go to a dentist. You are highly motivated to eliminate the pain. Eventually you find yourself sitting in the dentist chair.
This coaching tip focuses on the latter type: creating your own positive forced function that pushes you in the direction you strategically want to go. Engage with this type of forced function and it will get you moving.
Motivation is intricately linked to survival. Engaging with positive pressure can feel to your brain like a threat; however, it is not, rather it is a choice. You are creating the circumstances and perhaps the discomfort to ensure the focus is where it needs to be.
Some examples are
Booking a meeting of co-workers to present an ideaOffering a webinar to a group of potential clients
Signing up to run a 10-kilometer race with an accountability partner
Putting a for sale sign on your house
Booking your annual physical
Paying a person to provide a specific value
Hiring an employee if you are running a business
The tip this week is simple. Go back and look at your to do list. What on the list will make a difference to your well-being, bottom line revenues or long-term goals? Add in the forced function and thereby create positive pressure that pushes you forward.
Positive pressure will change the forces in play actively moving you closer to your goals.